I entered my sixth period class; Biology Honors. I noticed very few people already in the classroom; one of them I noticed had a rather fluffy but massive fro; next to him was a guy with blonde hair and a lip ring. I think I saw them with Gerard. I walked to one of the science tables in the middle of the classroom. I dreaded the fact that I’d have to share the table with someone. Just then the bell rang and a group of guys, dressed in the school’s orange and black varsity jackets – most likely jocks – came bustling through the door. One of the tall, brown haired, blue-eyed jocks, who I guessed was the leader, looked at me and smirked. I gulped.

Please don’t sit by me, please don’t sit by me! I thought to myself.

However, luck wasn’t on my side, and the burly jock pulled out the chair beside me and sat down. I cringed away slightly.

“Hi there,” He said in a gruff but smooth voice.

I didn’t answer him and looked straight forward. The teacher came in and everyone settled down. I learned that his name was Mr. Vale; he had a pot belly and thinning hair. He started taking attendance.

“Willow Adams?” He called out. I raised my hand and he nodded. “You’re the new student, correct?” I nodded.

“Alright class,” He began. “On your table, in front of you is a microscope and tray full of microscopic organism plates. I want you to examine them and label which is either an algae or plankton. You all have thirty minutes to work with the person beside you. Begin.”
I sighed, and pulled the microscope towards me and put in a plate to examine. However the guy next to me didn’t do anything and just stared at me.

“I’m Brandon,” He said.

I nodded slightly. And he continued to talk to me.

“And your name is Willow right? Sexy name for a sexy girl,” He said in a tone that made me want to vomit. How can he even say things like that? I shot him a dirty look and went back to work.

“Aw, aren’t you going to say something?”

I grabbed my notebook and wrote down in capital letters, NO!

He grinned. “You right down things to speak? Wow, ain’t that cute! So, I guess you can’t object if I touch you like this…”

He placed his hand on my thigh, causing me to gasp. I pushed him off me so that he nearly fell off his share and death glared him. He chuckled evilly.

“You’re pretty feisty,” He said. “It’s sexy.”

I wrote down angrily, Don’t fucking call—

Then he snatched my notebook out of my hands. He held it high above my head and I seethed with anger.

“Looks like you can’t talk now can you?” He taunted. I tried to reach for it but instead he just pushed me back down in my seat, notebook incredibly out reach due to his tall height. “Aw, cute how angry you are!”

I felt so helpless. Was this really how they acted here? Is this what happens in a public high school? Just when I thought the situation couldn’t get any worse, it did. Brandon opened up my notebook, and began reading what was inside. My poems and depressed phrases all were being tainted by eyes full of evil. He smirked and turned and to one of his friends who sat behind, witnessing the spectacle as if was a hilarious sitcom.

“I can only cut myself, wither and fall’!” Brandon read more, and this time others seemed to listen in and join the laughter.

I felt tears prickle my eyes, and I choked back on the rising sobs. Brandon turned to look at me and stared at me with no mercy, his eyes filled with malevolence. I wrapped my arms around me, biting at my lip to stop the flow of tears. I can hear their dark chuckling, and the harsh words that flew out of their mouths, rolling on their tongues. The words wrapped around me, tightening its grip on what was left of my humanity and dignity.

“Hey, you,” I heard someone behind me, their voice gruff with a hint of anger. I turned around to see the blonde with the piercing and the other with the fro. They both gave him menacing looks. Brandon turned around and sneered at the two. Obviously they weren’t good acquaintances.

“What do you want, Bryar?” Brandon snapped, my book still high in the air with the pages flapping about.

“I suggest you put the book down,” the blonde said. “Or things will get ugly.”

“Like hell I wou--” Before he could finish his sentence, the blonde punched Brandon square in the face. I let out a small gasp at the sound of his nose crunching under the blonde’s fist.

Brandon lunged at him, punching him in the stomach while the other boy fought back just as violently. The came charging in my direction and I thought that I was going to be crushed, but then the guy with the fro pulled me back out of their way. The blonde sent a very hard blow to Brandon, causing him to crumble onto the ground clutching his stomach.

The blonde wiped a trickle of blood from his nose onto his sleeve, and dusted his hands. He bent down to take my notebook that was lying on the floor.

“Here you go,” He said, flashing me a small smile.

I took it graciously and hugged it to my chest. I smiled and nodded as a way of showing him thanks.

“What is going on here?!” Someone screeched, and we turned around to see Mr. Vale with an outraged expression. He walked over to see Brandon still on the floor with blood on his face and the blonde with blood on his knuckles and nose. “Bryar! Neary! To the principal’s office! And for Pete’s sake, Gessipi get Mr. Neary to the nurse’s office!”

The two left with another boy clad in a varsity jacket helping Brandon out the door. I wiped at the few remaining tears.

“Everyone back to work,” Mr. Vale said. “Ms. Adams, you shall work with Mr. Toro standing beside you seeing that both your science partners are gone.”

I nodded, and looked up to the boy with curly hair beside me. He sat down and gave me a nice smile.

“I’m Ray,” He said, holding out his hand. I smiled lightly and shook it. “My friend back there is Bob. Are you, like, okay?”

He chuckled and I bit my lip to suppress a giggle. We finished up our class assignment; when we were done, we sat back and did whatever we felt like.

“Hey, since you’re new and all, why don’t you let me take a look at your schedule. Me or the others might share a few classes,” Ray offered. I nodded and let him look at the crumpled piece of paper.

He looked at it, and then smiled which let me know it was a good sign.

“Well it seems that you got all of us in your classes which is good,” He said, and breathed with relief. “You got Government with Bob, Study Hall with Frank and Mikey, Trig with Mikey, Lunch with all of us, Biology with me and Bob, and you have your second period and Art class with Gerard.”

He smiled to himself which gave me a curious expression. I scribbled down hastily,

Thanks, Ray.

“Anytime!” He said. “Well, now you just need to meet the rest of the guys.”

I frowned. He wanted me to meet the rest? The thought made me nervous; no one was that nice to me, and why would they want me to meet their friends?

Are you sure? I wrote, and he nodded.

“Yeah! You already met three of us, might as well meet the rest!” He beamed, and the bell signaled for leave. We got up and out to the hall. “Can you find your way towards seventh period?”

I nodded and smiled. Ray waved and parted ways as we walked to our next class, thankful that I had at least met some people kind enough to not treat me like a waste.